Hostage pianist’s family plays for his return
NewsThe pianist Alon Ohel, 22, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7 near the Supernova dance fest.
Ohel’s brother, Ronen, asked jazz musician Avishai Cohen, to record his song,’Shuvi Elay, (come back to me).He did so, with the family, in the family home.
Bring them back.
Despite the indifference of EU prime ministers.
Who is playing music for the residents of Gaza, who have been trapped while 2,000-pound bombs rain down on them and water, food and fuel have been cut off until now? There’s an indifference happening there too, let’s not forget.
Ask Hamas. Surely they couldn’t care less, using them indiscriminately as cannon fodder as they do. Terrorism 101.
Let’s hope that somehow, Gaza’s only grand piano, lovingly restored by French technicians several years ago, has survived. https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-rescue-gazas-only-grand-piano-makes-public-comeback/
I do agree with you, Rodger – while I was ‘liking’ your post, I was also genuinely wondering what’s going on in the minds of the 22 people who ‘disliked’ it:(?
Please remember that there are those – on both sides of this conflict – who can never come back.
Beloved 84 year old Gaza piano teacher and church organist Mrs. Elham Farah, a member of Gaza’s small Christian community, was gunned down in the street by Israeli soldiers last week. An Israeli tank then ran over her body.
https://themessenger.com/news/israel-hamas-war-christian-music-teacher-elham-farah-killed-gaza
Perhaps the leaders of Belgium and Spain have Mrs. Farah in mind when they speak of the “unbearable” no. of Palestinian deaths. They are not “siding with terrorists”, they are defending human rights. Thank you for considering this.
The Messenger is the only source I have found to report she was gunned down. There is no independent corroboration.
Not that I can vouch for the reliability of the news outlet or its unnamed sources, but Independent Catholic News provides corroboration: https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/48479
On November 18, 2023, The Financial Times. an internanal newspaper, quoted Mr. Hanna Maher, an Egyptian Christian pastor visiting his former home in Gaza. He did not identify the shooter as Israeli and made no mention of an Israeli tank running over the body of Elham Farah. He said people were afraid to help her because of the danger. There are many shades of gray during war.
No one is indifferent to the plight of the Gazans, even in Israel. Just keep in mind who started the Gazans and Israelis on the path of destruction, and who can (theoretically) stop it. Israelis want their loved ones back, there are still almost 200 hostages, Israeli and foreigners, including children, elderly, and ill. Israelis want to live without the risk of another vicious attack, and for the rockets to stop. The Israeli army action in Gaza reduced the rocket launches by 80% before the ceasefire. The crazy part is that despite the humanitarian crisis in Gaza the rockets towards Israel continued non-stop from Oct. 7, right up until the ceasefire. It’s very obvious that Hamas values killing Israeli civilians much more than saving Gazan lives. It’s tragic that they invest their efforts and resources in death rather than in music. It’s also tragic that people like you and the two European leaders are so lost, eager to bash Israel with unconfirmed stories, instead of holding Hamas and their supporters accountable. What if Spain, Belgium, and the rest of the civilized world would’ve instead said to Hamas: return all hostages immediately and drop your weapons? Play that scenario out in your imagination.
In the end your ignorance is costing more and more Gazan and Israeli lives. What if Hamas would have written 1200 songs instead of murdering 1200 Israelis on Oct. 7?
I don’t know what the answer it. But I do see a complete inability on one side to recognize any wrongdoing whatsoever on their part or to recognize the humanity of victims on other side. Any attempts to remind them results in accusations of “anti-semitism” or “siding with terrorists”.
This situation “started” long before Oct. 7 and neither side is blameless. Yes, there are 200 Israeli hostages, but there are 7000 Palestinians being held hostage in prisons by the Israelis, many of them women and children. Many are held for years never knowing why they are being held. If they were accused, they were often children who simply threw a stone or jeered at an Israeli tank. Look at the ages of the Palestinian “prisoners” being released in exchange for Israelis now – they are minors. Don’t you question that? Don’t you question how the Israeli military can arrest and imprison children or women for years with no official charges? And no, they are not well cared for in Israeli prisons. Many are emerging now in dire need of medical attention.
In 1948, when Israel was created, to coin a favorite saying “The bride is beautiful but she is already married.” The lands where Israel now stands were the home of many Arabs and Palestinians in 1948. 750,000 Palestinians were displaced because of the creation of Israel. The descendents of this diaspora, who reside in refugee camps and live in exile in neighboring countries now number 4.5 million. Honest question: where are they to go? What are they to do?
Oct. 7 was the culmination of years of frustration, persecution, of having no home or land & being effectively held prisoner in the open air prison that is Gaza. Violence was a horrible response, but it certainly just didn’t magically happen on Oct. 7.
On the flip side, the violence of Israeli settlers against peaceful Palestinian farmers is out of control right now and Netanyahu does nothing to stop them.
I have no horses in this race but this is what I see. Hamas is horrific, but Israel is not blameless. Their responses have not always been ethical or law-abiding. That is my opinion, for better or worse. Thank you.
Did 9/11 start before 9/11? Or was terrorism on that day a justified response to something that US did? Israel has every right to exist- check your history. Do the Palestinians suffer? Yes, many, if not most Israelis will not deny it, although many will mention that Israel is only minimally responsible. Does Israel continue to make mistakes? Again, most Israelis will agree. But the fact remains that radical Islam is a problem, and not just in Israel. That the radical left is so in love with radical Islam is very ironic. As far as the Palestinian refugee problem is concerned – the rest of the world created that monster, led by the terribly misguided UN. Why does UNRWA even exist? There were even more Jewish refugees from Arab countries in 1948, along with terrible pogroms and no special agency was created to help them. It was very lucky that Israel came into existence and was able to receive them. Why didn’t the Arab countries absorb the Palestinians? Why did they abuse them instead and still do? The majority of Israeli Arabs know that they are much better off in Israel than in Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, etc. If you want to know what the average Israeli/Palestinian thinks, check out the many videos on “The Ask Project” on YouTube. If you want to hear some good music, check out the Israel Philharmonic YouTube channel, or come to Tel Aviv, or Haifa, or Jerusalem. Very rich musical life there.
“that the radical left is so in love with radical Islam”. There you go. I rest my case. Perfect example of the extremist attitude on your side.
Anyone who makes an effort to see both sides of this conflict, is, in your view, “in love with radical Islam”! Come on. In the cases of the EU nations defending human rights in Palestine, they’re accused of being anti-semitic or siding with terrorists. That’s absurd.
The senior statesman of the “radical left” in the US is Senator Bernie Sanders, who is himself Jewish. He disagrees with Israel’s political actions right now. That doesn’t make him “in love with radical Islam”. Other members of our so-called “radical left” are those who are calling for a ceasefire and speaking up for human rights on both sides of the conflict. That hardly means they are “in love with radical Islam”.
Spain and Belgium have come under fire in this blog. Spain is a country which prioritizes humanitarian interests. Spain, along with Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, France and many other EU nations generously support humanitarian efforts for the Palestinian people. This doesn’t make them “in love with radical Islam”.
Spain has recently opened its door wide to welcome Sephardic Jews and their descendents, offering them full Spanish citizenship in acknowledgement of their Spanish roots. Spain has stumbled in its history but it’s made ammends and is hardly anti-semitic. The humanitarian concern for the people of Palestine by countries like Spain and Belgium does not mean that they are “in love with radical Islam” or in favor of terrorism. Nor are the United Nations or the New York Times “anti-Israel” or “anti-semitic” because they make an effort to assist or to report on both sides. These are ridiculous, extreme accusations which paint Israel and its supporters in a very ignorant light, I fear.
To see “Gays for Palestine” makes me shudder, considering what happens to gays in Islamic countries, courtesy of radical Islam. There have been several cases of LGBTQ Palestinians who flee to Israel for protection. Are Gays for Palestine radical left? No, that’s not mainstream left, with which most of my views align. I see it’s hard for you to condemn terrorism. I’ve clearly said that I know Palestinians are suffering, they are people. And all you can answer is say that whatever I said is “extreme accusations which paint Israel and its supporters in a very ignorant light”. If you’ve never been to Israel and the territories, do yourself a favor and visit, and actually listen to what people there have to say.
Point taken on the Gays for Palestine. Thank you for explaining that. I admit that I’m not familiar with this concern. But just because I don’t specifically say “I condemn terrorism” doesn’t mean I approve of Hamas. This may be a naive question – but does anyone in the world actually approve of terrorism or what happened on Oct. 7? I certainly do not.
And yes, I do very much want to visit Israel. I’ve always felt that it might not be appropriate since I’m not Jewish. I’ve feared that my presence as a tourist might disturb those who visit and live there as an important part of their heritage and faith. Your encouraging comments about visiting give me hope! Israel, as well as Jordan & the territories are top of my travel itinerary. And, of course, to hear the Israel Philharmonic in person would be a dream! Thank you for reminding me of that! 🙂
Please check your facts: there were not “more Jewish refugees from Arab countries in 1948.”
The main reason for Arab opposition to Partition Plan for Palestine of 1947 was that the plan gave 56% of the British Mandate land to the Jewish people and they were less than half the population at the time. Perhaps the UN did that in anticipation of future immigrations of Jewish people, who knows. But this was a big bone of contention with the Arabs – they predicted that a large no. of Palestinians would be displaced by the creation of the new state of Israel, and that’s exactly what happened. Arabs did not approve the plan, and the minute Israel was declared a state they started the 1st Arab-Israeli War. The inequity of land assignment to the Palestinians/Arabs, who were the majority population, was a major cause of this disagreement.
Ok, right, there were more Jewish refugees from Arab countries in the 20 years following 1948, not in 1948. This is a music site, so I won’t go into the topic any further, so I will say this last thing. I am not anti-Palestine, and certainly not against human rights. Palestinians have a right to self-determination. A strong argument can be made that Gaza should be a part of Egypt, West Bank a part of Jordan, but if they can somehow solidify into a people with a common goals and aspirations and want their own state, no one should stand in their way. The only catch is that they should leave Israel alone. Unfortunately there are many religious fanatics and corrupt leaders (Arafat, Abu Mazen, Mashaal, etc., all millionaires). If you are sincere about wanting human rights for Palestinians and want to understand the region better, visit Israel and the rest of the Middle East and really listen what people there have to say.
I hear you. You make good points which I appreciate. But it’s hard to leave Israel alone when Israeli settlers are constantly encroaching on Palestinian-assigned lands. Often violently. I’d say it’s probably the Palestinians who would like Israelis to “leave them alone”.
Sharing yesterday’s news about legendary architect Frank Gehry –
ne Ephraim Owen Goldberg – creator of Walt Disney Concert Hall – one of the world’s greatest living architects. He has joined the Jewish-led boycott of Israeli settlements and refuses to build there. An ethical man who values Israel but disapproves of Israeli politics. He’s not alone. Trouble in Paradise, it seems. . .
https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/frank-gehry-backs-settlement-boycott-hnagqmyk